Barrhaven residents stocking up food libraries so others won’t go hungry

Ottawa(CBC): It looks like a neighbourhood library box, but instead of books, it’s filled with non-perishable food.

These outdoor food pantries are popping up across Ottawa’s Barrhaven suburb to help neighbours who may be struggling with food insecurity.

“I just want to share as much as I can for someone in need,” said Mary Nguyen, who had a small library built on her front lawn earlier this month.

Nguyen says she learned of the initiative on Facebook and thought, “I can do it.”

Her pantry is one of at least three built in the past year in Barrhaven, where residents say people are struggling to get by — even in the suburbs.

“There are many people out there who really don’t either have access to food banks or are reluctant to go to food banks,” said Sadaf Ebrahim, who built the first pantry last December.

That’s when she began the project called Feed Ottawa. The mission, she says, is to make sure none of her neighbours go to bed hungry.

“Food insecurity can affect anyone — your neighbour, your friend, your family member. And especially these days,” Ebrahim said, citing inflation and rising costs of living.

“People are struggling.”